


All is calm, when it snows

by Muze



Category: AUSTEN Jane - Works, Sanditon (TV 2019), Sanditon - Jane Austen
Genre: 12 Days of Sanditon, Charlotte centered, kind of a sad fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-14
Updated: 2019-12-14
Packaged: 2021-02-25 20:27:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,346
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21791467
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Muze/pseuds/Muze
Summary: The cold wet snow set on a simultaneously freezing and burning sensation throughout her face.She could stay here forever, unperturbed. She was experiencing a winter right now.Perhaps, after a strong and harsh winter, and a period of hibernation, the circumstances could change, so that everything which had died or hidden during winter, could grow back stronger, bigger and better than before. Like nature, she would use this season to recover, and in the new year, she would grow and become Charlotte again.For the 12 days of Sanditon prompt: Snow/ All is calm, all is brightHosted by Sanditon Creative
Relationships: Charlotte Heywood/Sidney Parker
Comments: 10
Kudos: 50





	All is calm, when it snows

**Author's Note:**

> My entry for Prompt day 1: Snow/ All is Bright, for the "12 days of Sanditon" prompt challenge hosted by Sanditon Creative. 
> 
> You can also find/reblog/show love to my entry by going over to Tumblr at https://growingstronglikeahighgardenrose.tumblr.com/post/189664606905/all-is-calm-when-it-snows

Nothing quite paralleled the quiet of the countryside when it snowed.

It was somewhere around dawn on the 14th of December and not a single bird was singing.

There wasn’t even a trace of wind.

Between the glowing hills coated in white, tinted a pearlescent pink in the early light of morning, stood a house.

It was by no means a small house, but it was most definitely snug when one took into account the number of people living inside of it.

Fifteen people, amongst them thirteen children beneath the age of 21, lay abed. There was not a sound to be heard in the yellow rooms downstairs, except for the gentle spinning of the cat and the heavy breathing of the dog.

Just seconds earlier though, there had been a presence in the house making the floorboards creak. It had been the 22 year old daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Heywood. But, like a thief, she had sneaked out of the house.

 _Crunch_.

A first breaking of the divine silence happened when Charlotte put her booted foot down in the snow.

The sky was pink and purple, still struggling to free itself of the dark of the night.

She’d been a poor sleeper for the last couple of months. Her thoughts were filled with worries and memories, and her heart was heavy with an awful cocktail of emotions. She fell asleep late, and nightmares interrupted her sleep with regular intervals.

And once she woke up in the morning, after a night filled with terrors, it took her brain all of two minutes to remember everything which had happened in Sanditon. Then, her Esprit decided on whether she’d be angry with the people of Sanditon, or sad for herself that day. Most days the sadness won out, but there were those days when she was angry with Mr. Parker for daring to let her hope, angry for kissing her and mad for treating her like she was a child so many times.

But by the end of those days, the anger burned out, and there was nothing left but her bleeding heart. To her heart it didn’t matter what had been said and done, it belonged to Sidney Parker, and that was that.

Months of being at home, surrounded by her precious siblings, with days filled with chores and nothing to remind her of Sanditon, had helped her to find her footing again. But she wasn’t healed yet.

She’d never left home before, and Sanditon had been a whirlwind adventure. She’d become so invested in the town, its troubled persona’s and intrigues, that it felt almost strange to settle back into the slower pace of life in Willingden. Here there was one piece of news a week. When someone was having a problem, it was discussed immediately. Here, a new day didn’t mean a new set of problems to solve.

Though time had taken the edge off of the emotions, she still hadn’t processed many of the things that had happened. Every time she was certain about her interpretation of an event, she woke up with a new insight to reinterpret said event.

She’d woken up tonight like she had so many other nights. But this night, as she prepared to start another thirty minutes of tossing and turning before sleep took her again, her eye fell on the special colour of the night sky.

A colour she knew, though she wouldn’t have been able to name it until she saw it.

Yet it was enough to get her out of bed and lure her towards the window. It was the colour of a snowy sky.

Gone was the plaid of ackers in various shades of brown, gone were the leafless trees and evergreens. All was white and bright in the morning light.

So, careful to not step on any creaking planks, she put on all of her warmest clothes. Two pairs of woollen stockings, two warm shifts, and on top of that one of her warmest dresses and her winter coat. On went her high boots, wrapped around her neck was a sloppily knitted scarf gifted to her by one of her sisters a year ago. She put her hat on her head and put her hands in her gloves, and off she was.

Inside of her a storm was raging, but outside there was an ultimate peace. The snow sparkled untouched. Soon enough the children would get up and start making snowmen and throwing snowballs, but right now the lush new carpet of nature was hers alone.

 _Crunch_.

A smile fought against her currently habitual sombre straight lips and won the battle. With a smile, she took another step.

And then she _ran_.

_Crunch, crunch, crunch, crunch._

Away from her nightmares.

Away from the downward spiral of her thoughts.

Forward she went.

No matter what had happened months ago, today was beautiful.

And tomorrow could be equally beautiful.

And today would be normal.

And tomorrow could be equally normal.

The only thing which made her sad, were her thoughts.

Yet, there was no use in being sad.

Sanditon was saved by the money of Lady Denham and Mrs. Campion.

Sidney’s family was saved because of his marriage to the woman.

Sanditon’s popularity had grown thanks to her help, Mr. Tom Parker had said so himself.

She’d gained two new and unexpected friends in Georgiana and Lady Susan, and both still wrote to her.

And she herself was now reunited with her beloved family.

The only thing that hadn’t ended as happily as it should’ve, was her relationship with Mr. Parker. But in the end, neither of them had a say in it. After weeks of telling him he should be more involved with his family, he’d finally changed his ways… and had even ended up making the ultimate sacrifice.

_Crack, crack, crack._

Away from Sidney Parker.

She could always love and cherish the memories, but she couldn’t be sad anymore. Nothing had gone wrong.

_Crack, crack._

The freezing chill felt like a hundred needles on her exposed skin. She could feel her lips drying and her cheeks growing red.

 _Crack_ , she fell, her foot sinking away in a hole which had been covered by snow.

She shielded her face as she was propelled towards the ground.

 _Thud_.

She closed her eyes, her face crossing the final inches between air and ground.

The cold wet snow set on a simultaneously freezing and burning sensation throughout her face.

She licked her lips.

Delicious cold.

She slowly felt the hot air around her body slipping from between the layers of clothes, her body slowly becoming aware of the sharp cold.

The world was perfectly silent again.

She could stay here forever, unperturbed.

She was experiencing a winter right now.

Soon enough, her old affections would die in these harsh circumstances, and in Spring, her life would start over again: fresh and new. Who knew what adventure awaited her in the new year?

Hope.

Hope was what kept people going.

She was only twenty-two, she shouldn’t break down forever because of a single sad turn of events.

She opened her eyes. Right next to her face, was a single blade of green grass, uncovered by her fall.

Perhaps, after a strong and harsh winter, and a period of hibernation, the circumstances could change, so that everything which had died or remained hidden during winter, could grow back stronger, bigger and better than before.

She allowed herself a minute to make a snow angel, spreading her arms and legs and pushing the snow aside with vigour. If she closed her eyes, she could imagine that her angel form could take off and float, leaving her worries and sad feelings behind.

She couldn’t help but laugh as she twisted her head around as well. She could feel her lips stretching and cracking, but it didn’t matter. There was no one to kiss anyways. And besides… 

She could recover. Like nature, she would use this season to recover, and in the new year, she would grow and become Charlotte again.


End file.
